Fully automatic coffee and tea brewing devices are known. These brewing devices generally store, for example, whole coffee beans in a hopper. The user generally selects the type of coffee desired, i.e., espresso, cappuccino, latte, etc., and the device grinds the beans from the hopper. The device then drops the ground beans into a brewing chamber, compresses the grounds to create a brewable coffee block, and brews the block by forcing high pressure hot water therethrough.
These known automatic coffee brewing devices, however, may have several drawbacks. For example, if the beans are left in the hopper for more than a few days, the beans tend to lose their freshness and may go stale. Further, the grinders used in these machines may not be suitable for grinding coffee as finely as desired for certain types of beverages such as espresso. Adequate espresso grinds generally require constant adjustment so as to provide a “Barista” quality beverage. Such adjustments, however, may not be practical and, in fact, may defeat the purpose of an automatic brewer. Finally, known automatic devices may tend to clog and/or provide more or less of a dose of coffee as may be desired. The ultimate result may be a beverage with an unsatisfactory taste.
Likewise with respect to tea, tea extracts and concentrates can quickly provide large volumes of tea and also may have an extended shelf life. The quality of the tea produced by such extracts and concentrates, however, often is not as high as that made from traditional tea bags. Moreover, conventional brewing of regular tea leaves is problematic given that the tea leaves may not flow or brew as desired.
There is a desire, therefore, for an automatic coffee and tea brewing device that provides fresh, properly dosed coffee, tea, and other types of brewed beverages in a fast and efficient manner. The device preferably should be adaptable to various types of beverages.